An Efficient, Low-Cost Surface Activation toward Multifunctional Wood Manufacturing

With
sustainable development, wood is functionalized for use in
energy-efficient buildings, lightweight vehicles, and water treatment
applications. However, complex chemical or physical treatments hinder
its practical application. Here, we propose a simple and efficient
surface activation that uses UV-assisted hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) treatment for photoassisted oxidation in multifunctional
wood manufacturing. The oxidized wood cell walls increase the number
of hydroxyl groups on lignin. Combined with the aligned cellulose
nanofibers, this creates strong capillary forces that enable automatic
impregnation of functional precursors for nanomodification. The ammonium
polyphosphate-activated wood shows enhanced fire resistance and mold
prevention, with a 39% lower average heat release rate, a 1.71-fold
longer ignition time, and complete resistance against typical mold
species. Techno-economic analysis reveals that the preparation of
surface-activated functional wood reduces 92.5% in energy, 76.8% in
reagent cost, and a 169.1% increase in the market profitability than
traditional impregnation. Life cycle assessment indicates that the
surface activation strategy has 43% lower carbon emissions than vacuum-pressure
impregnation. The surface activation is adaptable for both fluorophore
nanomodification and graphite impregnation, endowing fluorescence
and photothermal conversion to wood. This low-cost, efficient, and
customizable surface activation approach represents a significant
advance in the low-carbon manufacturing of multifunctional wood materials.